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Tallaght Waiting lists extremely worrying- Seán Crowe TD

Dublin South West
representative Seán Crowe TD has expressed his concern and frustration at
the alarming rise in citizens languishing for longer and longer periods on
hospital waiting lists.

Crowe has claimed that
there is no real working strategy by Health Minister Varadkar to
tackle the current crisis which he described as going from bad to worse

Deputy Crowe said:
“There is no denying that is a serious problem with waiting lists for
outpatients and inpatient procedures in Tallaght Hospital.

Figures available from the National
Treatment Purchase Fund reveal that at the end of April there were 30713
outpatients attending Tallaght Hospital, up on the previous month.

Of these 7740 had been waiting up to
three months; 5199 had been waiting for 3-6 months; 7949 waiting 6-12
months, 7841 have been waiting between one and two years, 1707 people have
been waiting between two and three years, 268 have been waiting between three
and four years and 9 people have been waiting over four years.

Out of these figures 5504 were
categorised as paediatric services. “

Teachta Crowe, a member of
Tallaght Hospital Action Group, continued:

“Inpatient
figures also make for uncomfortable and depressing reading. At the end of
April, in
Tallaght Hospital,
3598 patients were waiting for an inpatient procedure with 603 of
these having been waiting for more than a year. The crisis for
patients and their loved ones is going from bad to worse.

Behind many of these hospital figures are individuals some in pain,
dependent on medication with their lives on hold while awaiting life
changing procedures.

This government’s health strategy is deeply flawed, lacks coherence and is
increasingly failing patients right across the state.

Soundbites and government rhetoric won’t address the failings in current
system.

Investment in the provision of extra beds, extra nurses, step-down facilities,
long term care and nursing home beds will and is the only long term sensible
solution to the waiting list crisis.”